The Second-Best Christmas Gift

Sam wakes slowly as the sun breaks through the window. It is
a Saturday morning in January. Sam smiles, remembering that he doesn’t have to
bundle up against the cold and go to the office today. He smells the beckoning
aroma of coffee from the gourmet grind-and-brew system (a Christmas gift to
themselves). He slides carefully out of bed to avoid waking Susi, his wife, and
heads towards the smell, already tasting the coffee in his mind.

As he tiptoes down the hall and steps over the remote-controlled
monster truck in the hallway, Sam notices that the truck is missing a wheel and
the windshield is cracked, as if it had been in a pileup on I-70. Shaking his
head, he remembers how much this Christmas gift had cost, and feels a twinge of
frustration at how quickly it had been rendered ready for the junkyard.

After the anticipated sip of coffee and taking a moment to
put on his new sheepskin slippers, Sam ventures outside into the brisk winter
air, his breath immediately visible in the cold. As he navigates down the icy
driveway past the shiny black SUV, he has to pause to admire the sleek lines.
He still enjoys looking at it six months off the showroom floor. Life is good,
he thought. Thank God for home equity loans and zero percent financing!

As he approaches the mailbox, Sam notices a red package
teetering halfway out of the mailbox, the newspaper carefully balanced on top
as a counterweight. He smiles, wondering who might be sending a late Christmas
gift.

Looking closer, he realizes that although the package is
Christmas related, it is not what he expected. It is a professionally wrapped
box of chocolates sent by the credit-card company in appreciation for his being
an exceptional customer. Cleverly nestled under the bright wrapping paper is
his monthly statement, with the $300 minimum monthly payment printed boldly at
the top.

“Welcome to the new year,” Sam mumbles to himself, feeling
the fun of Christmas gift-buying drain from his body into the ice under his
feet. He opens the newspaper and stares in disbelief at the headline, his mind
stumbling to comprehend it. Finally, it registers. His employer will be
eliminating 2,000 employees starting next week. His body seems to go numb. He
glances back at the credit-card bill and suddenly wonders what the new minimum
payment on his other credit cards will be. A knot of anxiety begins to form
somewhere in his chest and radiate down into his stomach.

The real joy of Christmas

Sam is fictional. But his story is all too familiar. He
learned the hard way that Christmas isn’t about credit-card debt.

Here’s something to remember: The second-best gift that your
family can enjoy this holiday season is a debt-free January.

The best gift, of course, is the awe-inspiring reality of
God’s love for us in sending Jesus (John 3:16).

The best thing about Christmas — Jesus — doesn’t add a
lingering burden of debt to our lives; he paid the debt for all our sin once
and for all. We can celebrate and share this love-filled, debt-free life in him
without racking up credit-card bills that will dog us month after frustrating
month, long after the lights and tree come down.

Why not give your family a debt-free Christmas this year?

Practical ways to avoid Christmas debt:

Focus on celebrating the real meaning of Christmas, not
expensive gift-giving.

Budget for any gifts that you buy, and spend only what you
budget. Start putting away a little money from each check starting in January,
and then spend only what you have set aside.

Shop early, so you don’t overspend in desperation just
before Christmas. Consider shopping on the Internet, where competition tends to
drive prices down and where you don’t have to spend money and time driving to a
busy mall.

Be creative. Remember that a gift does not have to be
expensive to be meaningful. How about giving a loved one a coupon to spend
meaningful time with him or her? A day at the beach, a bike ride together, a
hike with dad or tea with mom can be meaningful and inexpensive.

A special photo album containing pictures of memory-filled
events or a handmade gift certificate for a service to be provided to a family
member (breakfast in bed, a free car wash, doing the dishes or vacuuming
without being asked, free babysitting, etc.) can also be inexpensive
alternatives.

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